


The Strength of Love

by HylianRose



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 23:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13557864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HylianRose/pseuds/HylianRose
Summary: Derae wakes up on the day of her father's funeral, a strange man clad in armor knocking at her door. He claims to be her father's friends but the bracelet he gave her from her father won't come off! What manner of man is he!





	1. Friend of My Father

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic I started writing back in high school and I've just recently (nearly 8 years later) started editing it to continue the story now that I have grown and matured. The story may take twists and turns as the next few chapters come out due to the change in age and maturity.

**"Ugh."**  Derae yawned as she awoke that morning still feeling a little groggy from the days before. It didn't help that she'd been crying all last night. Her father had taken her out for a hunt a few weeks earlier and... ugh. She'd rather not even think about it right now, not that her brain was fully functioning right now anyway.

She managed to drag herself out of bed and stumbled over to her dresser to get ready for the day ahead of her. She pulled open a drawer and grabbed the new dress Dahlia had made for her. It was a little bit big, and jet black.

_Yay, my favorite color..._

Derae sighed; She'd never dreamt of anything like this; being forced to wear this god awful dress and stand at her father's grave as they spoke of times that  _they_  cherished. It just made her want to cry all over again.

She hit her face with her hands a few times to steel herself, telling herself to bulk up. Her Dad wouldn't want to see her like this, a royal mess. She pulled the dress over her head and pulled it on in one fluid motion. It was well made and fit her perfectly. It was jet black and lacy; a combination Derae didn't exactly LOVE but she couldn't deny the quality of the dress Dahlia made.

She grabbed her grey belt and paused. Glancing towards her bed side table, she eyed her mother's ring. She walked over with timid steps and placed the ring on her belt. She sighed. The ring was a simple sapphire, her mother's favorite, set on a simple metallic band. She walked over to her desk and picked up the dagger her father had given her on her 13th birthday. She remembered him telling her,  _"You're a teenage girl now, Derae. You need to start learning to defend yourself."_  She found herself with her hands on her hips, mocking him silently and laughed. That had been 5 years ago. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she blinked them away as she tied the dagger to the belt.

She heard a soft knocking coming from the front door; it must be Dahlia. She used her bare hands to dry her tears and made way for the door when, without warning, the door swung open revealing a man clad in armor. Under the armor, Derae could see his clothes were not like the village's. It was clean, unlike the villagers; it was bright, unlike the villagers and it had strange markings covering what she could see of it. One of which she felt was oddly familiar but she couldn't remember where she'd seen it. She wasn't very familiar with things outside the village.

She stifled a scream with one hand and put the other on her father's dagger, ready to attack if needed. The man pulled his hand to his mask and Derae tensed. He was... laughing? She slowly loosened her muscles and pulled her hand away from the dagger as he laughed.

Raising my brow, I asked,  **"Who are you?"**

**"I'm a friend of your father's."**  He spoke.  **"I guess I must have frightened you."**  He removed his mask and smiled at me. His voice was soft despite the hard expression etched onto his face. As he smiled, lines formed, as if he face was caked from drying out in the sun. His blue eyes held a certain... friendliness to them and considering his smile showed no signs of malice, Derae decided to lower her guard. She had pretty good intuition... Or so she thought, anyway.

**"Care to give me your name,** ** _Friend of my Father's?"_**  She questioned him, taking a less defensive stance now.

**"People call me Mamoru."**  He explained,  **"I heard about your dad. Everything will be okay. I have somethings your dad wanted me to give you and if you'll have me, he asked me to teach you more in the ways of fighting."**  He grabbed Derae by the shoulder, a smile on his face and walked her out the door.

**"I figured you'd be sulking in the house, so I figured I'd come get you. You know, making people wait, isn't very courteous. Your father was the same way."**  The way he bellowed as he laughed, made it seems like he had no worries in the world, something that Derae found a bit of comfort in. However, his sudden friendliness was rubbing her the wrong way. Who the hell did he think he was?

**"How do you know me so well, Mamoru?"**  She asked him as they walked down to the grave site. It was just past the small pond that she and her father had fished at for so many years. They never actually caught anything, but it allowed them time to themselves and a moment of peace. She never thought that he would...

**"Your father often spoke of you..."**  his words were lost as Derae's thoughts drifted to her father.

**"...the funeral."**  She finally heard him say, but she didn't know what he was talking about now.

**"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"**  She asked, sending him an apologetic smile.

**"Derae, you have to find a way to cope, okay? Your father would hate to see you like this. He often sent me letters about you. I know you more than you think. You love people. You love nature. You're not a shy and silent type. Don't let his death change you. He'd hate that."**  He sternly told her, a determined look in his blue eyes. Derae looked up into his eyes and saw the concern held there. He must have treasured her father dearly... But still, the fact that he thought he knew her so well, irritated her.

_Lay off my case. I'll get it together on my own, creep._

Derae was silent for a moment. She took in a deep breathe, hit her cheeks, closed her eyes, and chanted softly,  **"I will NOT back down. I will NOT give up. I will live and I will learn. Fear won't stop me, and neither will you. Get out of my head, and leave me be!"**  She opened her eyes, stood up straight, turned to Mamoru and said,  **"I'm okay. This won't change anything. I still have my father. He's right here, and here."** She explained, feeling a bit foolish, and placed one hand at her heart and the other on her dagger.

**"Your father used to do that all the time..."**  Mamoru mused, smiling.  **"It used to frighten me a bit, but he did it so often that I got used to it."**  He laughed, as we continued toward the grave. They were passing the pond, when Derae glanced at the patches of dirt there where her and her father's butts had worn the grass away. She smiled and the memory. Atleast grass would start growing there now. She laughed, and Mamoru gave her a look. She shrugged at him and continued on, not willing to divulge the secret.

**"Derae!"**  came a shout from behind them. When she turned around, she spotted Izema, Dahlia's daughter and her best friend. Derae and Mamoru waited for her to catch up.

**"Morning Izema."**  Derae smiled, wacing at her friend. Izema was 5 feet tall and full of energy. Her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders in such a way that it made her  
seem like she was floating everywhere she went. With hazel eyes and a smile that would melt any man's heart, she was the exact opposite of Derae, black fuzzy hair. But she saw through Derae's lies and knew when something was wrong.

**"'Ello Derae. Nice dress."**  She snorted, looking me over. Derae looked down at Dahlia's dress.

**"It's better than no dress, I guess. I'd much rather be wear pants and a shirt. But you know, can't win 'em all."**  Derae replied, laughing.

**"Who's tall, dark and handsome over here?"**  she asked, pointing her thumb at Mamoru behind her. He raised his brow at Derae but smiled kindly at Izema.

**"That's one of my father's friends, Mamoru."**  Derae told her.  **"I just met him today."**  Derae added to her in a whisper, prompting Mamoru to raise his brow at them. Izema turned towards Mamoru and waved, winking at him. Derae laughed, and turned to walk toward the graveyard, her friends following suit, Izema on Mamoru's arm, batting her eyes as hard as she could. She always was a bit of a flirt...

The funeral seemed to drag on, as if trying to delay something, but Derae couldn't think of what. Dahlia said a few words and Mamoru even spoke for her father. The villagers asked if Derae had anything to say but she wouldn't have been able say much of anything even if she'd wanted to. Something about sharing her most valued memories with these people seemed a bit... sad.

On the way back to the house, Mamoru followed her and Izema left for her own. He gave Derae her space, however, walking a few feet back. As they entered the house, Derae turned to him.

**"I'd like to get out of this depressing dress, if you don't mind. So, please wait here. I'll be out in a minute. And don't go busting through my door again, okay?"**  She informed him and went to her room.

A few minutes later, She was back in her normal attire; Tan pants that went down to an inch above her knee, a worn green shirt with a slight v-neck at the top and the symbol of one of the Goddess, Nayru, to be exact, sewn onto the shirt. She tied a brown belt around her waist and tied her dagger to it again. She'd never noticed it before, but the dagger had a strange symbol etched into it. She assumed it was a crest of some sort before, but it was eerily similar to the one on Mamoru's armor... She ran a finger over it. What could that mean?

She shook her head, as if to brush the thought aside.  **"I'm keeping Mamoru waiting."**  She mused to herself and strode to the door, swinging it open, hitting something. Oh God. It was Mamoru!

**"Oww..."**  Mamoru exlaimed, holding his nose.

**"Oh crap! I'm so sorry! I wasn't really paying attention to how much force I was using. Plus, why are you in front of my room?"** She apologized, cringing at the blood now flowing from his nose.

**"I'm fine, but you should really learn to control your strength."**  He replied, holding a hand up to his nose.  **"Man, I haven't had a hit on my face like that in awhile. Actually, the last person that ever hit me was... your father."**  He continued, pulling his hand away to see blood, which he promptly wiped onto his shirt. Derae furrowed her brow at him fully ready to go get  
a wash cloth for him.

**"Anyways, I have something for you from your father. It's urgent, he said. But, I decided to wait until now to give it to you."**  he told her as he pulled out a bag. He handed it to Derae and motioned for her to open it.

She pulled at the tie and the bag fell open revealing a small bracelet. She blinked, a bit confused at it's purpose. It had two small stones, one a light blue, and the other a deep dark red. They were framed by leaves and it was just big enough to fit her wrist.

_What the heck is this thing meant for, Dad?_

She looked up at Mamoru, and he nodded. And so, she placed the bracelet on her wrist. For a moment, nothing happened and she felt a bit silly but soon it started to glow.  
Derae collapsed to the floor, shocked by what was happening. Why was it glowing? Even Mamoru looked bewildered. The two stones seemed to pulse in turn. First the blue, then the red, never at the same time and then suddenly it died down.

**"W-What was that?"**  Mamoru stammered, clearly unaware of the bracelet's meaning as well.

**"I don't know..."**  She told him, her curiosity growing. She attempted to pull the bracelet off to get a closer look at it, but it wouldn't budge. What? She pulled harder... it wouldn't come off. It had tighten onto her arm.

**"Wait, why don't you know?! You're the one who was tasked with giving it to me!"**  She shouted at Mamoru, holding up at accusing finger in his direction.  **"What have you done to me?!"**

Mamoru held up his hands to defend himself, looking much like a deer caught in headlights.  **"Y-You're dad just said to give it to you!"**  He shouted in return, shaking his head.

_Great... Just... great. Thanks Dad._


	2. The Spirit Orbs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derae and Mamoru try to figure out the bracelet and meet a strange wolf who seems to know all about it.

Derae stared at the new bracelet for the longest time. She studied every inch of it, turning her arm over and back several times, running her hand over the silver metal, but none of it made any sense. It didn't seem out of the ordinary and it had stopped glowing. She sat on her bed, a puzzled expression on her face as she stared at it. She had no earthly idea what to do about it or with it. Something about the bracelet made her heart race, like an adventure waiting to be had. She couldn't explain the sensation to anyone if she tried. A knock on her door pulled her out of her trance and with slow movements, she crossed the space between her bed and the door to the house she'd shared with her father. She was greeted by a rather refreshed looking Mamoru, his dark black hair seeming more clean than it had been the other day.  
  
**"Good morning, Derae."** He greeted her, making his way to her father's chair. He sat with a loud, whump! He was not wearing the armor he wore the day of her father's funeral. She began to wonder where he'd been staying. Their small village didn't have an inn or anything of the sort.  
  
**"Good morning, sir."**  Derae answered as she returned to her seat on her bed. She decided against asking him where he was staying. It wasn't like she even really cared. **"I've been studying this bracelet, but I can't come up with any explanations. Do you know anything?"** I asked him quietly. He sat there for what seemed like hours, in which Derae spent twiddling her thumbs, when he finally stood up and walked towards her, a determined look on his face. She pulled back a bit at the sudden approach.   
  
**"Give me your wrist."** He requested gruffly. Partially startled, She did just that. She raised a brow as she raised her arm for him. Without waiting he took it in his hand. His touch was gentle and warm, not unlike her friends around the village but something about it was making her blush. Her arm started to tingle as she felt heat, not only from her face, but from the bracelet. What? Her eyes shot down to the bracelet. It still was not glowing, but the heat only grew as the contact was prolonged. It started to hurt after a moment and Derae tried to pull away, the blush and thoughts of his warmth replaced by the now searing pain on her wrist.  
  
**"Ow…"**  She groaned, still trying to tug her arm away from him. As he released her arm, the heat immediately stopped. She'd taken a step back in shock when he finally let her go, and stare down at the bracelet once again. She couldn't wrap her head around this dang thing...  
  
**"Are you okay?"** he asked her, his voice tinged with panic. She couldn't help but think of how innocent he sounded despite how much of a larger build he was than her.   
  
**"Yeah, I'm fine. But... for some reason, the bracelet started burning me. When you let go, it just stop cold."** She explained, rubbing her wrist. It was red where the bracelet had been but she didn't think she'd sustain any burns, thankfully. Suddenly, they both heard a loud bang outside the house, both heads turning sharply towards the front of the house. They both ran for the door, Mamoru pulling his sword from his sheath along the way. Derae pulled her dagger as well and followed behind him, a bit more apprehensive. However, neither of them were prepared for what sat outside her door.  
  
A dog sat on the front porch, staring up at the both of them. It's fur was mixed shades of black and it's blue eyes seemed to pull Derae in. The glanced at her dagger and then at her bracelet, completely ignoring Mamoru, who was steps away from attacking.  
  
_Who are you?_  
  
Derae heard a voice, but couldn't find the source. She looked around, trying to keep the dog within her line of sight in case it attacked them.  
  
_This is why I detest humans. In front of you. The wolf in front of you. Now answer me. Who ARE you?_  
  
**"Ah... Derae."**  She stammered, now staring at the dog with wide eyes. Was this dog really talking? She glanced at Mamoru to find him giving her a strange look.  
  
_You're Link's daughter?_ the dog asked, scanning her with a look that said, 'Really? You?'  
  
How did he know? Her father came to Ordon for refuge from the evils of Hyrule…  
  
**"Who are YOU?"**  She asked him, a scowl on her face to try and intimidate him into giving her information. She could have sworn he raised his brow at her...  
  
_I am Kou. I am a being sent by the Goddesses to watch over the wearer of the Sacred Spirit Orbs._ Kou proclaimed, lifting his head proudly.  
  
**"Sacred Spirit Orbs?"** She asked, raising her own brow at him in confusion. **"D-Do you mean these?"** She asked, holding up her wrist to show him the bracelet.  
  
**"Who on Earth are you talking to?"** asked Mamoru, looking a bit concerned for her mental well-being.   
  
_...Yes. I mean those. They hold a very powerful magic within them. The Goddess had a servant of her's make a small bracelet and after she had bestowed it with a bit of her magic, sent him down to the surface world to find and give it to one worth enough to use it._ the wolf answered her. She could faintly hear Mamoru calling her name but the wolf…   
  
**"But my father gave me this… Was he-"**  Derae started, a worried expression on her face.  
  
_No. He wasn't the servant. The servant died several years ago and has already returned to the Goddess. No, before Gale left this world, he spending years looking for someone worthy enough to wield such magic. Defending it from evil that wanted to use it for evil deeds, he had finally stumbled upon this village, Ordon. And in it, he saw you..._ He began, and suddenly an image appeared in her head, like she could see everything that had occurred as if she'd actually been there. She thought she'd seen the wolf give her a look before the image started, but couldn't focus on it to think much of it.  
  
—————————————————————————————————————————————  
  
Derae saw an old man appear; grey haired and limping terribly and her heart ached for him. She gasped as she noticed dried blood on his clothing and scars along his arms and legs, her heart tightening as panic spread through her. He had barely made it through to the entrance to the village when he stumbled on a fallen branch and fell. His face contorted tightly with pain. She wanted to help but as she reached her hand for him, she noticed her arm was almost transparent and her hand went right through him. She let out a gasp, stumbling back in shock. Suddenly, before she could even register what was happening, she heard a voice that was clearly not the man's.  
  
**"Are you okay?"**  Shouted a child's voice from the direction of the village. Who? Derae turned to watch as a small child with long black hair appeared from behind the brush. For a moment, she wondered who she was and then realized, those were her green eyes! The old man looked up at the child and smiled weakly.  
  
**"If you'll just help me up, I'll be fine."**  He asked the small child. His voice was soft despite the pain she knew he must be in and had an ethereal air to it that she couldn't understand. The child nodded and hooked his arm over her shoulder and began to lift with all the strength she had in her. It took some doing, but the little girl had finally helped the man to his feet.   
  
**"Thank you so much, young one."**  He finally spoke to her after catching his breath. She nodded and held out her hand. He looked confused for a moment but, when realization dawned on him, shook her hand.  
  
**"My name's Derae! It's nice to meet you, sir!"**  She heard her own small voice speak. She remembered this, somehow... Vaguely... The man's name was...  
  
**"Gale. My name is Gale. It's very nice to meet you as well, Derae. I can't thank you enough for helping me up."** He thanked her with a smile that seemed to outshine the sun.  
  
"You have a nice smile, mister. Follow me, Daddy can help you find your way if you're lost and I'm sure a bed and some food will do you good." She spoke, oddly mature for a 12 year old girl. She sounded more like a mother than a child. It must have been how her father raised her. Derae smiled and laughed remembering how father had made her bring Mrs. Pithe's fruits back to her. As an 8 year old, she hadn't quite understood the meaning of asking for things. Mrs. Pithe had been so kind and had even given them some of her fruits every year since then.

Derae came back to her senses when she realized that the image had changed. She was now standing inside her home. Her father was pacing the kitchen floor and she could see her own black hair peaking out from under the covers on the couch.  
  
**"You have a very kind-hearted daughter, Link."**  Derae heard the old man say from the direction of their bathroom, his voice more ethereal sounding than before. She watched him walk through the hallway heading for the kitchen. His face seemed to glow and a faint hint of a ring above his head kind of set off something in my mind. An angel...?   
  
**"She sure is something."**  Her father replied from the kitchen, finally taking a seat at the table. He sounded as she remembered him, tired and gruff but not unkind. She stared at his figure, tears blurring the scene before her. He ruffled his own dirty blonde hair and glanced toward the small figure on the couch and then back to the old man.   
  
**"That she is."**  The old man laughed as he spoke. She hadn't noticed before but it looked like all of his previous wounds had healed... as if by magic...  
  
**"She said your name was Gale, correct?"**  Her father asked, noticeably unperturbed by the man's... glow. Was he used to this? She certainly wasn't...  
  
**"Yes. My name is Gale. And you are Link, I presume?"** he said matter-of-factly, a hint of a smile on his aged face. Her father was silent for a moment, an unreadable expression held on his tired features. Gale continued without waiting for a response, **"I know that you have had a hard time, Link. The Goddess understands, as well."**  
  
**"The Goddess?"** Link asked, narrowing his eyes. Derae couldn't understand why he seemed so... cautious about it. Did he know something about the Goddess that she didn't?  
  
Gale sighed and began to explain to Link why he was here. **"I am but a humble servant of the great Goddess in the sky. She sent me some years ago to become human**  
**and find a soul worthy enough to wield a power with the ability to save all of Hyrule. She realizes that you have done your part, and now it is time for another. I never expected your daughter to be the chosen one, though. I guess it only makes sense. She has the kindest heart, and the love to protect all of our world."** he told Link. She turned wide-eyed to her father. His brow was furrowed in anger.   
  
"Leave my daughter be!" He exclaimed, slamming his fist down. Derae vaguely remembered wincing and her eyes wandered over to the small lump on the couch. **"I don't want her to have that kind of responsibility! Not when I know what the weight of the world does to you."** He continued, lowering his voice now, but his voice still held a harshness that she didn't remember it ever having.  
  
**"Link, trust in her spirit. Her heart is strong and she will learn to believe in herself. But in order for her to do that, and save this land, you must believe in her as well. I saw for some time a faint glow from this town; unlike any other I had seen. It was faint, but it held so much promise. I came to find that source. She, unlike others, was kind to and old and tainted man such as myself. She was not scared of these scars or this wizened face. She treated me as she does all, as a friend, an important something."** Gale explained, and placed something in Link's hand. **"When the time comes, give her this. She will understand with time. When you can no longer protect her, this will show her the way and the story will unfold."**

 **"Like hell!"** Link shouted, standing up. He threw the bracelet to the ground and was about to smash it to pieces when it suddenly glowed and shot out from under his foot. Where it went, neither knew and they spent what seemed like an eternity searching for it.

  
**"I guess I don't have a damn choice…"** Link sighed and closed his eyes. **"Goddess protect her."** He whispered, his brow furrowing.  
  
**"She will. Have no doubts, hero. Destiny is on our side."** Gale smiled and crossed the room. He caressed the black hair flowing from under the blankets on the couch. He closed his eyes for what seemed like forever and then walked out the door. 

 _Creep..._  
  
—————————————————————————————————————————————  
  
The image faded and Derae was back to reality, staring at a talking wolf who Mamoru couldn't seem to hear.  
  
_Do you understand now?_ Kou asked, looking up at her expectantly.  
  
**"Yes. I understand. Well, I sort of do... But I still don't understand how this damn bracelet works!"**  She yelled at him as she grabbed at the bracelet.   
  
**"Derae, _stop_. I'm worried. _Please_ explain to me what's going on!"** Mamoru asked, loudly and with the same expression from earlier.  
  
**"Can you not tell my friend what you are telling me?"**  She asked Kou, turning from looking at a frantic Mamoru back to him.  
  
_I can only speak to you. No one else. You will have to explain to him yourself._ he answered her. Fat load of good that did her...  
  
She turned to Mamoru and lead him inside, a look of distaste on her face. She wasn't looking forward to this. She explained everything to him, including what she'd seen, trying to ignore the weird looks he gave her.  
  
**"So, Kou... is the _wolf_? And he can only talk to you, and some old guy named Gale gave your father that bracelet?"** Mamoru asked after a moment, his brow raised at her.  
  
**"The angel's name was Gale, and yes. I can only assume that Daddy knew that something would happen to him and gave the bracelet for you to give to me."**  She answered  
as best she could, but hearing it out-loud didn't it sound any more reasonable. Mamoru just sat there awhile and finally stood up and walked out without a word. Derae blinked, watching him. She knew she'd have to give him time to think about everything that was happening but it still stung a bit. The fate of Hyrule was a scary thing...  
  
Sighing, she decided to get some rest. She spotted Kou outside the window and decided to let him in. Getting up, She the distance to the window and opened it up.  
  
**"Would you like to come in? It's kind of cold out."**  She asked putting a small smile on her face. He stared at her for a moment and then hopped in through the window gracefully.  
  
_My thanks._ He told her as he curled up at the end of the bed. _This might not be **so** bad, _ she thought to herself. _Aside from the talking wolf now laying on the foot of my bed..._ Kou huffed at her and she chuckled, giving up on trying to understand it. She crawled back into her bed and dozed off.  
  
She woke in the morning with the sun in her face, having dreamt of nothing. Sitting up, she looked around, and saw Kou watching her from the end of the bed.  
  
**"Good morning..."**  She greeted him, an awkward tone in her voice. How long had he been watching her?   
  
_Soldiers are in the town. They're searching for weapons in case of rebels._  He explained matter-of-factly, still watching her with what she assumed was a dull expression. Derae shot out of bed and put on clothes as fast as she could muster, nearly falling a few times as she slipped on khaki shorts, and made her way towards the center of town, Kou close behind. She spotted Mamoru arguing with a soldier outside of Dahlia's house, Izema crying on the porch. Dahlia spotted Derae and began to make her way closer from the porch.  
  
**"My Dear! They won't listen to reason! I don't know what I'll do! The soldiers stormed into my shop and found weapons! And- And now they're saying we're a part of some secret rebel organization!"** She was beginning to cry in hysterics now, something Derae was not at all used to. Awkwardly, Derae hugged her, telling her it would be okay, that they could fix it. Kou rubbed his side on her legs trying offer condolence. Eventually, Derae let go of her and walked toward the soldier and Mamoru.  
  
**"Excuse me, can I help you?"** Derae asked him, interrupting the feud between the two men while trying to keep her own tone polite. Making Dahlia cry was a punishable offense.  
  
**"Who are you?"** the soldier asked, irritation clearly showing on his face. He was much taller than her, much larger too. She glanced from his face to the put belly under his armor and then back to his face.  
  
**"I am Derae, my father was the leader of these people. Can I help you?"**  She explained, feeling all the world like she could deck this guy right here, right now. She could feel Kou behind her, tensing up as if ready for a fight.

 _Calm down._ I thought, hoping it would reach him. He began to relax and laid down at her feet, his blue eyes still staring up at the soldier.  
  
**"My men and I found some illegal weapons in this shop here, care to explain?"** he asked her sternly. holding up a spear.  
  
**"Those weapons belong to me."** Derae stated without batting an eye. She knew that he probably wouldn't listen to reason if Dahlia couldn't get through to him. So, she'd just have to talk to the man in charge. Mamoru was silently staring at the ground beside her. _Yeah, okay. Great help, friend._  
  
**"Then, I will have to ask you to come with us to the castle to be interrogated by the Queen and her men."** he informed her, reaching for her hands to tie them up. Despite every fiber of her being wanting to, Derae didn't resist and let him push her towards a horse.  
  
**"Do you mind if we take my own horse? I'd rather not be anywhere without her."** Derae pleaded, thinking of Fiona.  
  
**"Sorry, but we can't risk it. Some of my men will remain here to watch the villagers to make sure none of them are rebels as well. Until you're name is cleared,**  
 **none of them will be leaving any time soon."** He explained as he pushed her up onto the horse and had her settled in. She spotted Kou watching her from the ground.   
  
_Everything will be okay. I won't let them do anything to you._ Kou explained, staring at her. She felt a certain sincerity in his voice, but she wasn't too afraid. She was confident in herself. Nodding, she watched Kou leap up to the horse's behind and curled up behind her.   
  
**"That wolf will have to come down. He might frighten the horse."**  One of the soldiers commanded.   
  
**"Kou wouldn't do anything of the sort. He'll be fine. If he does manage to frighten the horse you can throw him off and make him walk. He'll follow anyways."** She  
retorted. The soldier sighed, probably thinking it was too much trouble arguing with her.    
  
After all the men had mounted and all of their things were packed, they set off for Hyrule Castle. Something told Derae this would be a very long day…


End file.
